What would you do if you were poor... ?

For the past 4 weeks we have had a thief coming to YWAM at night and stealing yards and yards of our black plastic covering our interlocking bricks. This is a little bit of a petty crime, but significant since every cent used for things with the clinic are totally donated, and the clinic is being built for the very community the guy is from...
To make it worse... one of the guys that was working with us on the clinic for a month was found to be stealing plastic the other day, hiding it in the trees. Vinj talked it through with him, on how the clinic is being built and sponsored by so many people for HIM and his family, people just like him, so how could he be stealing from something like that. To look at the moral of it, and the reproductions for him, since YWAM would not be able to trust him again for a long time, and if more were stolen he would be the prime suspect. AND we have been employing him on the building for a month now!

So why would he take it a step further and steal plastic.

Now put your self in his shoes.

It is rainy season and many people don’t even have roofs on their mud huts or walls... we assumed the people stealing were covering their roofs, BUT soon it became evident by the amount being stolen he was stealing and re-selling it.

What would you do if you were poor and had an alcohol addiction?
Or you had hungry babies to feed at home?
Or no roof, and rains coming with no relent on you and your family every day?

Of corse we would be desperate and almost do anything to make things right.


Second story...

The christmas party for the kids went well last Saturday. But we discovered something very sad.
One of the girls who have been coming for along time was wearing a belly kind of shirt, and I was shocked to see a little baby belly! Now that i think back I think she must have wanted us to see she was pregnant other wise why would she wear a shirt like that.
She is maybe 17 years old, and we JUST got money in to send her back to school to start at grade 8 and be sponsored for the next three years.
The biggest concern of corse is possible “date rape” , and the highest concern is obvious unprotected sex, which could quite possibly lead to HIV/ADIS for her.
We saw her walking down the road and talked to her yesterday, Vinj just came right out and asked how far along she was, she looked down and was embarrassed and said three months along. We tried to tell her it was going to be ok, we are going to talk with the family next week and see what their plans are for her and school, and for the baby. It is still very tabu to be having a baby as an unmarried girl, please pray for this situation, that we could be there in a real way for this baby, and this girl named Mary.

Projects & Life

Muyaba update

Prayer Requests:
Continued prayer for health, Malaria season is coming up soon!
Wisdom while working with the poor, we just want to point them to Jesus.
For the upcoming training school, we would love some over seas students to mix with the Zambian students. Also for wisdom in walking along side these students.
Pray for the children that come on Saturdays, alot come from abusive homes, and very poor homes. We would love to start feeding them even one saturday a month as most of them probably come here hungry.
For Kathryn, she is starting to feel home sick especially as christmas season is coming up.

Projects going on right now and needs along with them.

Clinic Project: The foundation is finished! We are onto making bricks for the walls with our interlocking brick maker. We are hoping to have the walls and the roof up before rainy season. We are still in need of $10,000 to finish the clinic, and outfit it with furniture.

As we are making out own bricks we are making a big hole in the ground on base, normally this wouldn’t be a big deal any where, but since it rains for four months, and idle water breads mosquitos, e cannot have the hole just there. So we are taking that opportunity to do a....

Fish Pond: With a fish pond we can share our baby fish and see other people make their own little fish pond for their families, which would increase the nutrition by ALOT, as most people don’t eat meat unless it’s a very special occasion. We need about $400 to put plastic down in the hole, and buy a pump to keep the water circulating.

Food Project: As an example to the community around us we want to model small scale food production with lots of varieties for your diet. Along with water conservation. As a model we will need drip irregation pipes we have $100 of the $350 we need for this.
We also want to plant fruit tress all around the base for food for the kids that come to the base throughout the week, and a variety of foods for the base staff and students on the base. A fruit tree costs $8, we would love to plant 100 fruit trees on base. Thats $800.00 - 50 fruit trees would be $400.00



Our personal house projects
As the rainy season is coming in a month we had to build a blockade in front of our door to prevent flooding of our house, it is 3 cinder blocks high, we laid flat stone on the ground around this to make a porch about 10 feet by 6 feet, and put a tin roof over top. This is almost finished, and we praise God for that!

We have also got all the materials for screens and have hired one of our YWAM staff who is saving up for paying the bride price so he can marry his fiance! This cost us much more then we first thought it would. But in the end we will have screens over all our windows. Because of the way the windows work here in Zambia he had to make whole new frames and then the window doors with the screen on them. This will make the house safer in terms of mosquitos, snakes, and spiders coming in (among other things) We have been finding BIG poisonous spiders in the house, one tarantula in the bathroom, so we are praying these screens and Gods grace will keep us safe.

We still don’t have a ceiling, and although this is not something that will effect our health or safety, ceiling will grant some sanity as the rains pound down on our tin roof for 4 to 5 months. And will give the house a more finished feel. But since it is not effecting anything we have kept putting it to the back of the list. This will cost $450.00.

Something very common here is power outages, our power is actually turned off by the one electricity company in all of Zambia when ever they feel like “Load shedding”. This has been everyday now, being out in the farms this means the only light is the moon, and since the sun goes completely down by 6:30pm, it makes it hard to cook, bath the kids, or do much : ) We do live by candle light which does work, we put our candles in the top of our coke bottles. BUT there is a solution we would LOVE to have. Basically it’s a back up light powered by a battery, the battery charges when your electricity is on, and this battery powers 6 things in your house. If the power was to go out for a few days the battery produces electricity for you up to 3 days. This would costs us $450.00


Thats what is up for us here in Zambia, mostly preparation for the rains to that are coming, much like the prep that happens for winter in the great white North!

We have been meeting up with people hungry for change in their lives, and have had opportunities to challenge them and walk along side, I have to say besides the ids that come on Saturday this has been the most touching in our lives. To see people turn to Jesus is just something else!

Stories of real people.

Blogging.... I haven’t done it in two weeks I think, and I am so out of the “groove” I have a million stories to tell even just from two weeks. First one is my came on MOnday! I cannot believe it is almost a week since she came.... in some ways I am counting the days, but at the same time trying to enjoy every minute. She just fits in so well in our house and always has. I had Malaria for the first few days she was here, so that kinda put a damper on it, but I loved seeing how my kids remember her, and not only that love her so much. I love it! and DANG can she blog! wow! read her blog for what happens here, cuz could never write that much!
So a couple fridays ago it was the DTS 2010 graduation here on the base, the day before I was getting my hair braided by a girl named Nancy from a small poor community a 2 and a half hour walk from us, but it is only about 45 minute walk if you catch a bus between walking. So anyway, she came to do my hair, and it took 9 and a half hours! SOOOOO LONG (to be honest by the end I was getting a little irritated by the braiding, and Taliah was pretty mad too).
Anyway, she was shy at first to talk to me, but after a few hours she loosened up and we talked, she told me her story. And I was really shocked how much death one girl could experience in her life. Her mom and dad had 12 children, she is one of three left of all 12. She is just 22. She has seen 4 of her niece and nephews die, one of those in her arms in the waiting room at the hospital. Her dad died the night before she took her grade 7 exams, of which she nearly failed most of them. (who wouldn’t). If you understand what exams mean to kids in Zambia... it is their lively hood at that age in so many ways, it;s what gives lots of them hope for the future. So it is more then devestating when you don’t pass. When she was writing her grade 11 exams again a few days before her sister (the one closest to her) died suddenly, she was pregnant with her second child 7 months. Both the mom and the baby died. She left a son. Nancy barely passed those exams. Went home and never went back to school, she has taken care of her nephew since then, clothed him, paid for his education (which she does mostly by braiding hair around our community), he is now 16, and will be done his high school in three years. She is looking forward to going back to school once she has put him through school. His school fees and food will probably come to $600 a year for her. She also supports her mom at home. Of corse there was more detail in her story, but through it all I was thinking this girl CANNOT be for real, seriously! She kept saying she would go back and read Job in the bible and see that she hadn’t even lost as much as he had, Job lost EVERYTHING, and she still has her mom and a brother and sister. She tells her mom who grieves all the loss she has had as a mother and wife, she tells her to look at what she does have, and to praise God that he hasn’t taken the rest of her children. ! In a way talking to her scared me and challenged me... I saw a real story of an incredible amount of loss in one story, and I though, so it can really happen.... people die, I could loose so much... it’s possible. And how would I respond? She has such a spirit of thankfulness, and desperation for Jesus. She told me how she cannot turn to men, because they will just use her and leave her, she only focuses on supporting her family, and honestly, you look in her eyes and you can see she has gone through everything she shared. It is so painful. I wish I could pay for both her and her nephew to finish school, of corse that is my first reaction. But on the other hand I see God is there, He has been there. And I was touched to the core. Maybe I will be able to help them with some money, but with or without, I know God knows.

On a purely happy and proud note: SETH IS OFFICIALLY POTTY TRAINED! I don’t even ask him anymore, he just goes on his own, I don’t even know half the time when he has gone to the toilet! Even in town, and if by chance he naps, NO WET PANTS! So SO SO happy about this one of corse, it makes life and laundry so much easier! I was no nervous about potty training because I was thinking we can have kids and then we are expected to just know how to do things!? I was so nervous I wouldn’t be able to do it. But it doesn’t take much brain power I found out : ) haha After my fair share of poo down his leg, pants, and other places.... poo now goes in the toilet. Thank God!

Two days ago there was an absolutely horrible accident down our road. A mini bus carrying from what he heard 9 people and the driver was hit by a semi truck full of rocks, the mini bus was peeled back, totally destroyed on the left side and back, all the seats were crushed... all 9 people died, a horrible death. The driver survived, but lost both his legs. All these people cold be anyone, could have been us, or our dts students who were coming back from town at the same time... or our friends wife who was coming back from town the same time. So far we think we did not know anyone on the bus. They have left the bus on the road and people have surrounded it now for two days, I think it was good to leave it for a reminder and warning. But it is terrible, and is a devastating week for alot of people in our area.

This morning some of us YWAM staff were having a meeting about todays kids ministry, planning the day... amoungst planning games and songs, HIV/AIDS comes into these conversations. We are concerned one of the younger girls in our group is positive, she comes with sores, and has for a while now, and has been orphaned, she is about 12 years old and lives with a relative close to us. A couple children that used to come every week right on time (who contracted HIV/AIDS from their parents) have moved away because their grandfather sold the farm they and their grandmother were living on. Both their parents have died from what zambians some times call “the dose”. Now we don’t know where they are, but are going to try and find out. Their HIV was advanced enough already they are on ARVs. These are things these kids deal with, so many of them positive because of the parents, at no fault of their own. God have mercy on the kids, and give us wisdom in these situations, and the little influence we have on their lives. I spent most of the program sitting with one of the cherish girls, she is now over 15, but was one of the teen moms who come to cherish, she is not married andlives with relatives, and is a child in so many ways still. She told me “lets go play the games! Come on!” About to leave her baby sitting alone, I said I would watch the kids while she went to play. We talked a little bit, she said my baby look like a good girl (they are a few months apart), but mine is a bad baby! I asked why she wasn’t good, and she said she cries at night, and I said oh ya, how many times does she get up? And she said once, so I told her that is normal, and her baby looks like a good health baby girl. I can see she gets frustrated with having to be responsible at times, although I am sure she is doing a good job, and loves her baby. But you can see she want to get up with the other kids and just be silly.
At the end of the program we walked the kids to the end of the YWAM road. (My mom had brought a bag of 100 pens for the kids, I was thinking after a few days of thinking about it, maybe they would be a lame gift, I mean a pen.... how cool could that be?! you know.) But I was SO WRONG. At the end of the road we asked them if they wanted pens, and vinj almost got trampled by them! So we tried to get them in a line, giving them one at a time, it worked for about 30 seconds, then they swarmed us again, I know they were worried they were’t going to be enough for all of them, so survival mode in a way comes into play, they were even lapping and pushing the little ones out of the way.... I stood back for a minute and thought... “for a pen..” wow. We had 100 pens, and we ran out before every one had one, but the last 4 were ok about it, (older girls). I know there were a few who lied that they hadn’t got one, and got two. But can you blame them? There faces are so sweet, and I am falling in love with each one more every week.

I am thinking about christmas coming up, and I hope we can do something special for them.


Any ideas?



I think thats all for now.

I love you all, and miss so many of you so much.

Plans for tomorrow... church, meet a few people in town to give forms to, take mom to the market, and visit our dear friends wightson and linda. AND if we are lucky Toby will make it to Lusaka tomorrow, and Seth will be SO HAPPY to see his uncle Toby. (And so will I )

A Post about life, death, adoption, and funnies.

This morning there was no power all over our area, very frustrating if you let it be. Instead I just sat and read James from the message for a while, and guess what the power came back on after 2 hours! Thats awesome, it’s usually all day. And I don’t know how long it will last, so we filled the bath tub with water for usage for the next few days in case the water ran out. But thankfully I think it’s ok.
The book of James is so great for basic values and instruction on Christian living. It challenges about faith and works... “Do you think you will get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith mean that someone has it?”
The last part I read in chapter 4 in james goes like this....
“So let God work His will in you. Yell a loud NO to the devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and He’ll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. HIT THE BOTTOM, AND CRY YOUR EYES OUT. The fun and games are over. GET SERIOUS, REALLY SERIOUS. Get down on your knees before the master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.”
Isn’t it amazing how we think there are so many better ways of getting on our feet, such as jobs, money, house, security, girl friends, so called happieness... we are so decieved. We know nothing about life, and we play as if there is ample time for repentance and purity. QUIT PLAYING GAMES! HIT THE BOTTOM, and cry your eyes out. Repent, and start taking life seriously, the way it should be. God is who should be feared, not AIDS, not LOSS, not hurt PRIDE. GOD NEEDS TO BE FEARED. Period. The fear of God is the beggining of wisdom. So throw away your junk, your pride, your anger, the right to be right, throw away your right for happieness, and kneel at the feet of Jesus. like James said, it’s only then you will really stand....

After that little preach.... Vinj and I have been going through some hard times, and have constantly been reminded to go back to Jesus for strength, and for answers. Thankfully when we are stupid He isn’t, and he always has an answer. Thank you jesus for that.
Saturday we had all those wonderful kids come to the base from around the community. We went on Friday to the community inviting kids for Saturday, saw where some of them lived, and met one of the dads of the kids, it was really great. So Saturday we had 65 kids this time, we invited 3 boys and 10 came, we can see there will be piles and piles more as the weeks go on. We did music and dancing to some Zambian songs, and some kids worship songs, then Vinjelu told the story about Jesus on the boat with His disciples, we even had sound effects with our music program, the rain, the thunder, the storm! It was really great! The point we were making with the kids was that Jesus is the only one who can truly calm the storms in our lives and bring true peace. He shares some from his own life, identifying with some of their home problems. It went really well. At the end we showed them some video footage from the other weeks, and they felt like celebrities seeing them selves on the “big scree” (our computer). ! : )
Sunday we went to church, on our way there Seth was concerned and leaned forward saying...
“mommy, I don’t want to go to the doctor!” I replied “Seth we aren’t going to the doctor we are going to Church!” When Seth is excited about something you say such as “ grandma is coming!” he says “WHY!!!” so he said “WHY!?” and I thought about it for a minute why do we go to church kathryn???.... and of corse the answer came quickly... “Seth it’s because we love Jesus, and we love people” he thought about for a few seconds then said.. “and....... chickens.... and GIRLS!” and I said “ ummmmm, yes, and chickens and girls : )” haha. So cute.
We got to church, and we already have a very small gathering of people usually about 10-15 people, a Vinyard church planted recently in our area. But on Sunday there were only 5 of us including vinj and I (excluding the 8 kids there). The pastor was not there that sunday so his wife got up and looked at Vinj directly and said “do you have something to share?” which we thought kind of forward and funny, because before church in the morning we had been reading from Matthew 10, and really felt touched and convicted by the word. So Vinjelu actually did have something to share, so he ended up sharing on Sunday with our small group of believers. Sunday afternoon we had naps, then off to see friends on the other side of town. Which was really nice.
Monday morning we got up and tried to get going to the Social welfare offices, but were bogged down a bit with clinic construction questions, and finishing our soak-away...
We did eventually get going, and got to the offices to no surprise we didn’t find the social worker there (who only two days earlier told us to meet her in the morning to get a letter to give to the director of the orphanage). So we waited for 3 hours when she finally came back, and we got the letter. We were stubborn, a few people had told us just to come back the next day, but we had planed for Monday and just felt to wait. We prayed and felt we should wait and low and behold we got the letter just after lunch time!!!!! On our way back to the car we met a man about vinjelus age who introduced him self, both of us had forgotten meeting him, until he reminded us he is in animal husbandry, and vinj had talked to him about cows and projects. Vinj had picked up his dad on the road quite a few times to give him a lift in our trips to the hard wear store. He share that only a week ago his oldest brother died very suddenly! After the shock of that and with the fathers heart ache for them, the father had a heart attack and died only two days ago! The very man Vinjelu had been sharing farming ideas and time with.... We were so shocked the family is experiencing such loss. The son we were talking to was at the courts trying to figure some of the legal stuff out for his mom. We were so heart broken for them, we could tell he was just in survival mode, almost like he wasnt totally there, if even a little part of his heart was shown he would break down. Please pray for this family in their loss... two fathers of more then 5 kids died last week, leaving wives as well.
After meeting that guys we went onto grab chicken to eat at a semi fast food place, where we met some of Wightsons sisters. The first we greeted then the second walked in and immediatly said “WOW! You’ve gotten really big!” (I was thinking quickly, ok, how do you respond to that..!) so I said, “um, yes I have : ) I have two babies, it does something to a body!” aysh! AND THATS ZAMBIA! Don’t get offended, just go with it, since it’s true. : ) Why deny it.
We finally got to the orphanage called the house of Moses. It is a baby orphanage, for kids I think 3 and under. We met the lady running the place, and gave her the much needed and waited for letter. And she sent us right up to the baby room. Where we were met with 15 little cribs lining the wall. And one big bed with railings, where I saw two tinny babies sleeping on their stomachs. There were 9 little baby boys 10 months and under. We immediately picked up one boy each who were waiting in their cribs aching to get out and play and be held. I was holding a chubby baby boy named Blessing, and vinj had a happy baby boy called Peter. And three other boys started to cry wanting to be picked up as well! How heart breaking! But the place is very clean and comfortable for them. We stayed there play and holding the boys for a while. Then the director came up again and said on thursday morning they were going to be haing a meeting with social welfare about which babies would be up for fostering on Friday. The process is who ever is up for fostering is elegable for adoption, meaning all the paper work is done and they are custody of the social welfare, and family has no say or right to the child (extended family for instence). If you take a child to be fostered that is the first steps in adoption, they stay in your home for three months, with a visit from the social worker every few weeks, and evaluation, questions, etc. If they see it fit for the child to be adopted by your family you proceed with the court dealings and the child is yours once the paper ares signed and approved. WE DONT KNOW TIMING ON THIS STUFF! you never know in Zambia with lawyers and court.
Both vinj and I although not able to hold the twins (since they were sleeping, and there were other babies awake and crying) we were drawn to them. What we know about them is the mother died after delivering them. : ( SO SAD! The father is not in the picture at all, but the extended family is somehow. So there is still review on them, and their extended family. The director didn’t seem very impressed with them, and the social worker said they could be possibly up for adoption, but they wont know now. So I hope we weren’t both drawn to them just not to be able to make a home for them. but we do know that God knows, and we trust him totally with this. Maybe were drawn to them because they were the youngest I don’t know. But God knows, and we will see on friday I guess what the social worker says. Kinda nervous for friday!
And this very day, we are going for a walk into the community the other way to meet more people, and later Wightson and Linda are coming for a visit! YEAH!
AND... we are cooking for the base tonight!

A Blog by vinjelu!

A blog from Vinj! Wow!

Yesterday I had a bit of a break down. I felt as though life had become so busy and there seemed to be so many things vying for my attention and time. Then I shared with Kath and she helped me unravel what was really going on inside me. Thank God for her, every day...

I WANT to walk every second of everyday with Jesus, to commune with the Holy Spirit and to hold the hand of the Father. I found that I was walking more and more on my own strength and i felt as though my strength was waning . Ever felt like that? Feeling it is one thing but facing the fact that you are not where you ought to be is another. So Kath I and I decided to make some changes. We (mostly Kath to be honest) cleaned the house. That seems to always be a good start!

Today we woke up, made coffee and had some prayer time with Kath. Kath read out Ephisians 4. It talkes about getting off your butt ( bluntly speaking) and going to do what God has called you to do. So we did. We decided to take a ‘walk about’ around our community and get to know our neighbors. We met a man who’s name is Collins and had a chat at his home and prayed for him. It was amazing to see how openly we were recieved. Seth and Taliah just blended in like they always seem to do and Kath and I chatted to this man. Our kids were helping one of the girls there with lunch prep. This involved taking the heads off dried Kapenta (tiny little minnow like fish). Sitting there in the shade of a tree with little boys running around and other kids getting ready to go to school and talking to man who did not know us from a can of paint, I saw again why God called me back home ( zambia) and called my family here. It is not just to build building and grow food but it is to take the time to reach out into the souls of men and enourage their broken spirit that God loves them and cares about every minute detail of a person’s heart.

So we began our day by asking God what He wanted us to do with our day, and he did. May this be the pattern of our lives here in Zambia. Because without HIM we can do NOTHING.

Another blog...

It is so weird to wake up every single day and pick out clothes to wear for HOT weather. How foreign to a Canadian! And how many outfits can a person have for such weather?! It definitely takes getting used to.
Today we woke up just before 7am, which is the BEST time to take a stroll outside in the cool morning. We open all the curtains and windows to enjoy the cool for almost 2 hours, then everything gets closed up, trying to avoid the very hot sun. Oh for an air conditioner! haha.
Last night vinj and I went out on a date, we have been SOOO BUSY with the clinic construction, budgets, DTS planning, and ywam in general. Which has brought vinj and I to a ummmm ... “testy” point, both of us having little patients for either. So we thought it’s time to just take some time off together.
So we went out into Lusaka to find something new. There is a chinese hotel, its called the “The golden bridge” I am sure you can google that. Anyway, we went in to see what it looked like, so we had a drink in the lounge area, it was soooo funny, seriously there were like 10 different colours used in the lounge in the painting! And they didn’t really match in alot of spots! : ) haha. It was quite pleasant and funny, so we decided to stay for supper (we were maybe going to go out to an Indian place) So we went to the restaurant, its a classic big open room full of tacky chairs and tables with gold everywhere, the main colours were baby yellow, and purple : ) ! Our waitress took us to a private room in the back with romantic light, it was nice, except the temperature was set at 31 C! AHHH, and we couldn’t change it! So it was a bit hot. We had different/ really good food, although the spring roles were not spring rolls! And we asked for soya sauce and she had no idea what we were talking about, so we told her there is no way the chinese came and built a hotel with chinese food and didn’t bother to import soya sauce, so we told her it’s brown/black sauce. So she went and found some! Even though her manager said they didn’t have any! What a good waitress!
Vinj went to wash his hands in a sink outside the bathrooms and the waitress came to him and explained how they work, since there is no where to turn them on, she said we don’t want you to be pulling things and brake something! GEESH talk about assuming someone has no clue! So Vinj was gracious and let her show him how to use the automatic touch-less taps. He came back to our table and told me it was so weird to be the one assumed to be “uneducated”.
Anyway, we finished and went to the open Shopping/cinima/restraunt center called Arcades. We looked for movies but all of them had started already, pretty bad planning! So we walked around looking at some of the new shops, all closed of corse. We found a new club that had been opened, and I wanted to see inside, since I haven’t ever seen inside a club! haha, yes laugh at me know, I was a “good girl”. It was SOOO COOL, mainly black and red interior, but very fancy. The bouncers at the door look us up and down and said ok, it’s fine you can go in... then we met the SECOND pair of bouncers who came really close to vinj and not going to lie kinda scared me! : ) But we said “sorry sir! We just wanted to see inside!” haha. But definitely not a place YWAMers are allowed to stay and play. So we left of corse after seeing the place. And we went to this arabic place where they have the best coffee in Zambia that we have found! It is SOOO GOOD people, better then anything we tried in Canada as well. So maybe I can the the best in the world! haha.
Anyway, the have opened a very cute stylish little ice cream shop, where they make their own ice cream! And you get small scoops (much smaller then you would get in canada) but you can get a different flavor for each scoop you get. So we got a mocca Chocca, and Vanilla of corse for vinjelu, and a mint chocolate one for me, which was totally amazing. And can I say AGAIN the ice cream was the best I have ever tasted! Better then that Marble slab place in Canada! So rich and creamy, and everything ice cream should be. And to top it off a very cool chocolate design frozen on top. Very cool, we love the place and will go back.
It was a nice date.

A new development, to give you some back ground. . . before we even came to Zambia we were told there was an older lady looking for work and the ywam people were thinking we could employ her to help with house work in our house. Right away we said NO! It would be so weird having someone older then us like our mother cleaning our floors and so on. When we got here that same lady was coming every other day asking if we would employ her. Kind of harder to say no, now that she is in our face, she wanted the job obviously for the money. She is a widow, and is 61 years old. So we finally agreed with reservation in the decision. It’s been since July she worked for us, Vinj and I have been uncomfortable with it the whole time, and feel it’s just not working for us, we can do all the work she does our selves in our home, and besides that we are missionaries, we should be an example to people as well! So we talked to her about it yesterday, and she will not be working for us anymore. Vinj told her we did it to help her, so we are going to be praying about how we should help her, so we will wait and hear from God about it. There are so many people to help though, it’s just endless, and we know we need to hear from God who we are to give to and so on. There are alot of girls 15 and up not going to school, who want to go, but don’t have the money, sick people needing health care... and so on, the stories run one after another after another. We just need Jesus, we need miracles! Please pray for these, and for wisdom, compassion and resources for Vinjelu and I!

I cannot post pictures from the aircard internet from home, sorry about that, there are pictures to post for you guys.

We might be going to visit an orphanage today. Wish us many blessings!

Love you all,
Kathryn

Stories from Zambia...

Most names have been changed in these stories for the sake of the people.

We thought we should share some of our stories from Zambia so far, I know many of you have been asking for “God stories” from when we came.

We have seen alot of hopelessness, disease, death, and poverty around us in the last three months. As we have always said, we are thankful we carry Jesus, because He is the only one who can make a difference in those lives.

Friends of ours have been married for a year and a half now, and were expecting their first baby in October, Glen is a teacher at a high school, and Breanne is a social worker in Lusaka. She was 7 months pregnant -- 3 weeks ago, when she felt she was going into labour early. They went to the main hospital in Lusaka the University teaching Hospital, many people see that hospital as a place to go and die, because when you are there it’s the end of the rope, others traditionally always encourage there kids to go there because of familiarity. Anyway, most of the stories from this hospital we have hear end in trauma or death. This time it was death of their baby. Breanne went into labour too early, in the tradition of the hospital the husband is not aloud in with the wife, so she was in with the nurses. But as she was not going into active labour the nurses just left her, waiting.... for more then 12 hours, they checked the babies heart beat and even told her the babies heart beat was going down.... and yet they still left her. After being induced she gave birth to a dead beautiful baby boy. He could have easily lived with a C-Section, which they give in Zambia everyday... but she didn’t know, and the nurses were not offering any other alternative. When we heard the news after coming home from Malawi we were so devastated, and mad at this unfair, cruel circumstance, if they were in one of the private hospitals it probably would be different. Now they are left with no baby, and she is still healing from the birth of her baby boy. Our hearts break for this couple, and we are trying to be a support for them, sharing the little we know of loss, encouraging them to hold on to Jesus, and grieve now, not to put it aside and be tough. Please pray for healing in their hearts, especially Breanne (God knows her real name), pray that they will be blessed with a baby, pray for strength and inspiration.

Last week an older lady told us her grandbaby was very sick, the same age as Taliah, vomiting and diharea for the past two days. That concerned us right away knowing how many babies die of those symptoms everyday. So we took her and the baby to the local clinic closest to us. (the one that is OVER RUN with patients) She had been diagnosted with malaria without a blood slide, meaning a nurse looked at her and said she has malaria, they gave her tablets to be dissolved in water and given for the malaria, but she was just throwing them up. When we took her in vinjelu asked for a blood slide, and the nurse said no they couldn’t do one because the d already given her medication and it would not be visible anyway (which is true) SO WHY GIVE MEDICATION if you don’t know what it really is!!! Since meningitis has very similar symptoms as malaria, and babies can die of that in 48 hours. Vinjelu was also shocked to find out the grandmother thought every man in the clinic was a doctor! Down to the guy emptying the garbage. The implications of this are huge, since she would listen to any of them, believing they are all doctors! Not good.
Anyway, after a few days of treatment and trips to the clinic the baby is on the mend praise Jesus! This story is repeated hundreds of times a day in our area.

Another two reasons we want to get our clinic finished!

We would love to fill the clinic with staff who love the patients, who see them as people no matter the money in there pocket or clothes they wear. Please pray with us for a Doctor who is a Jesus follower, who believes in the healing touch of Jesus and is also a VERY GOOD DOCTOR! We need lab technitions, nurses, receptionist, people who love people!

From Prison to Jesus...
We had two guys come to the base to inquire about our discipleship school, both express their desire to follow Jesus and be in His ministry, we also found out through the sharing and conversation they have both spend more then ten years in jail! I will tell one story at a time ok. First guy who I will call Jeff, shared that he had been part of an armed robbery when he was a teenager, he shared the pressures of being poor and wanting to face up to pressures of looking good at school and having pocket money. He and his friend were interrogated and beat to the pulp asking where the gun was, eventually they lied that a different man had it, out of desperation to get out of the beatings-- that man was killed by the police, an innocent man. He will forever live with that guilt. After being pardoned 3 year ago Jeff became a christian and has been following Jesus ever since. He wants to fight for the rights of prisoners in Zambia, as the living conditions are well below human standards. He shared that the men could never sleep in their cells, they were too full with double the prisoners then the prison capacity. He said the guys would sit up squooshed in the cell waiting for morning when they were let outside where they would stretch out and sleep.
He wants to do DTS with us, please pray for the voice of the Holy Spirit to speak clearly to us during this time of walking with Jeff.

Now for the second guy who came asking about DTS, he wants to devote him self to missions, spreading the gospel of Jesus. I will call him Michael, he was also involved in an armed robbery but he was put on DEATH ROW, to be hanged! Now to put it into perspective, at that time armed robbery was getting totally out of control in Zambia, people were being killed in their homes, women were being raped, etc. So the government came down VERY HARD on armed robbers, even if they were stupid youth. He was a youth when he went into prison on death row, for 10 years he waited to die. He got a review from President Mwanawasa, and he told them he deserved to die, he was guilty of what he did, and he was not going to beg for his life. After his review he was pardoned and freed. He became a christian in the prison, and since his life had been spared he wants to do nothing else but serve God in missions. He also wants to do the DTS we are running in March. Please keep him in your prayers as well. We were talking to him about rehabilitation of prisoners who went into prison as youth and come out as men with no money, education or money. He advocates for education in prisons now, and wants to work with youth who are at risk already, before they end up in prison. Again please pray for wisdom with these two men with hearts to follow Jesus.

And for our last story. There is a man who back in 2001 told vinjelu how he does not feel like a man, he felt like a totally failure, with no job and business always failing for him. His wife had a job, but he couldn’t make anything work. Back then Vinjelu encourage him to hold on to Jesus and one of these days things would turn around, that Jesus hears his hearts cry. We met him yesterday and he gave testimony after testimony, they have been able to renovate their house into a four bedroom house instead for a one bedroom with room for kids and family. They own now a few businesses, and are enjoying blessing on blessing. And he kept reminding Vinjelu what he had said to him year sago, and that he held onto those words for years. It was encouraging to hear that, and it blessed Vinjelu.

Those are all for now, not all our stories but some of them.

Another few prayer points:
Please pray for total health for the Muyaba family.
Pray for the couple who lost their baby boy
For the clinic staff we will need for our clinic
For the rest of the money needed for the clinic
Pray for wisdom for vinjelu and kathryn as they prayerfully accept students for next years DTS.
Pray for those two men who are now out of prison, and are seeking after Jesus.
Pray for the anointing to fall around us, for people to be healed, and transformed!

Blessings to you all.

Vinjelu and Kathryn

Stories from Zambia...

Most names have been changed in these stories for the sake of the people.

We thought we should share some of our stories from Zambia so far, I know many of you have been asking for “God stories” from when we came.

We have seen alot of hopelessness, disease, death, and poverty around us in the last three months. As we have always said, we are thankful we carry Jesus, because He is the only one who can make a difference in those lives.

Friends of ours have been married for a year and a half now, and were expecting their first baby in October, Glen is a teacher at a high school, and Breanne is a social worker in Lusaka. She was 7 months pregnant -- 3 weeks ago, when she felt she was going into labour early. They went to the main hospital in Lusaka the University teaching Hospital, many people see that hospital as a place to go and die, because when you are there it’s the end of the rope, others traditionally always encourage there kids to go there because of familiarity. Anyway, most of the stories from this hospital we have hear end in trauma or death. This time it was death of their baby. Breanne went into labour too early, in the tradition of the hospital the husband is not aloud in with the wife, so she was in with the nurses. But as she was not going into active labour the nurses just left her, waiting.... for more then 12 hours, they checked the babies heart beat and even told her the babies heart beat was going down.... and yet they still left her. After being induced she gave birth to a dead beautiful baby boy. He could have easily lived with a C-Section, which they give in Zambia everyday... but she didn’t know, and the nurses were not offering any other alternative. When we heard the news after coming home from Malawi we were so devastated, and mad at this unfair, cruel circumstance, if they were in one of the private hospitals it probably would be different. Now they are left with no baby, and she is still healing from the birth of her baby boy. Our hearts break for this couple, and we are trying to be a support for them, sharing the little we know of loss, encouraging them to hold on to Jesus, and grieve now, not to put it aside and be tough. Please pray for healing in their hearts, especially Breanne (God knows her real name), pray that they will be blessed with a baby, pray for strength and inspiration.

Last week an older lady told us her grandbaby was very sick, the same age as Taliah, vomiting and diharea for the past two days. That concerned us right away knowing how many babies die of those symptoms everyday. So we took her and the baby to the local clinic closest to us. (the one that is OVER RUN with patients) She had been diagnosted with malaria without a blood slide, meaning a nurse looked at her and said she has malaria, they gave her tablets to be dissolved in water and given for the malaria, but she was just throwing them up. When we took her in vinjelu asked for a blood slide, and the nurse said no they couldn’t do one because the d already given her medication and it would not be visible anyway (which is true) SO WHY GIVE MEDICATION if you don’t know what it really is!!! Since meningitis has very similar symptoms as malaria, and babies can die of that in 48 hours. Vinjelu was also shocked to find out the grandmother thought every man in the clinic was a doctor! Down to the guy emptying the garbage. The implications of this are huge, since she would listen to any of them, believing they are all doctors! Not good.
Anyway, after a few days of treatment and trips to the clinic the baby is on the mend praise Jesus! This story is repeated hundreds of times a day in our area.

Another two reasons we want to get our clinic finished!

We would love to fill the clinic with staff who love the patients, who see them as people no matter the money in there pocket or clothes they wear. Please pray with us for a Doctor who is a Jesus follower, who believes in the healing touch of Jesus and is also a VERY GOOD DOCTOR! We need lab technitions, nurses, receptionist, people who love people!

From Prison to Jesus...
We had two guys come to the base to inquire about our discipleship school, both express their desire to follow Jesus and be in His ministry, we also found out through the sharing and conversation they have both spend more then ten years in jail! I will tell one story at a time ok. First guy who I will call Jeff, shared that he had been part of an armed robbery when he was a teenager, he shared the pressures of being poor and wanting to face up to pressures of looking good at school and having pocket money. He and his friend were interrogated and beat to the pulp asking where the gun was, eventually they lied that a different man had it, out of desperation to get out of the beatings-- that man was killed by the police, an innocent man. He will forever live with that guilt. After being pardoned 3 year ago Jeff became a christian and has been following Jesus ever since. He wants to fight for the rights of prisoners in Zambia, as the living conditions are well below human standards. He shared that the men could never sleep in their cells, they were too full with double the prisoners then the prison capacity. He said the guys would sit up squooshed in the cell waiting for morning when they were let outside where they would stretch out and sleep.
He wants to do DTS with us, please pray for the voice of the Holy Spirit to speak clearly to us during this time of walking with Jeff.

Now for the second guy who came asking about DTS, he wants to devote him self to missions, spreading the gospel of Jesus. I will call him Michael, he was also involved in an armed robbery but he was put on DEATH ROW, to be hanged! Now to put it into perspective, at that time armed robbery was getting totally out of control in Zambia, people were being killed in their homes, women were being raped, etc. So the government came down VERY HARD on armed robbers, even if they were stupid youth. He was a youth when he went into prison on death row, for 10 years he waited to die. He got a review from President Mwanawasa, and he told them he deserved to die, he was guilty of what he did, and he was not going to beg for his life. After his review he was pardoned and freed. He became a christian in the prison, and since his life had been spared he wants to do nothing else but serve God in missions. He also wants to do the DTS we are running in March. Please keep him in your prayers as well. We were talking to him about rehabilitation of prisoners who went into prison as youth and come out as men with no money, education or money. He advocates for education in prisons now, and wants to work with youth who are at risk already, before they end up in prison. Again please pray for wisdom with these two men with hearts to follow Jesus.

And for our last story. There is a man who back in 2001 told vinjelu how he does not feel like a man, he felt like a totally failure, with no job and business always failing for him. His wife had a job, but he couldn’t make anything work. Back then Vinjelu encourage him to hold on to Jesus and one of these days things would turn around, that Jesus hears his hearts cry. We met him yesterday and he gave testimony after testimony, they have been able to renovate their house into a four bedroom house instead for a one bedroom with room for kids and family. They own now a few businesses, and are enjoying blessing on blessing. And he kept reminding Vinjelu what he had said to him year sago, and that he held onto those words for years. It was encouraging to hear that, and it blessed Vinjelu.

Those are all for now, not all our stories but some of them.

Another few prayer points:
Please pray for total health for the Muyaba family.
Pray for the couple who lost their baby boy
For the clinic staff we will need for our clinic
For the rest of the money needed for the clinic
Pray for wisdom for vinjelu and kathryn as they prayerfully accept students for next years DTS.
Pray for those two men who are now out of prison, and are seeking after Jesus.
Pray for the anointing to fall around us, for people to be healed, and transformed!

Blessings to you all.

Vinjelu and Kathryn

bad to good

Blog September 14th evening.

Today I have been thinking of everything horrible, annoying and offensive... and so on. One of those terrible moods I need to snap out of. We have been sick so many times since coming and honestly I have had it today. We found out last night Vinjelu has malaria, and mine still hasn’t gone! I think it’s just the physical getting to me. I NEED JESUS. I NEED the HOLY SPIRIT.
On the bright side vinjelu and I got the thing we need for internet at home, although more expensive then going into town, we have the advantage having it at home now, it’s an air card, soon the 3G technology is coming into Zambia with our network and we will be going to that once it’s here. I also got a bunch of stamps and envelopes to post letters, I wish I could write one everyday, I am going to try and write more, because there are so many people to write to. So some of you special people will be getting letters, especially those who wrote me first! WOOHOO, I love letters.
Anyway, I am looking at December approaching and wishing so much I could be going home to my family for the season, it is deffinately one of my very favorite, I love the build up of Fall into the christmas season. I find my self making different plans to go “somewhere” for christmas. But I think we will stay, vinj and I want to record some of the songs we have been writing, and we would love to be doing that, and maybe we could get one air conditioner to escape to one cold room. Anyway, thats still a few months away, and again like I said, it’s not the best day today : )

Vinj and I picked up the interlocking brick machine today from the university of Zambia! A canadian team came here and paid for it, at the time we were hoping for the team to be making bricks while they were here, but lets face it -- this is Zambia, the only thing you get the straight forward is..... a tomato off the side of the road (over - exagerating...) anyway, so it took from mid july to mid september to get the machine. But WE HAVE IT, and we are using it for the building of the clinic! Which has started, the foundation has started. It is kind of stressful because we really want to do it quality, but also saving as much money as possible, of corse. Which is hard. And then watching every single cent being spent, recording it into the budget and expense reports... etc.

And, we have lights on the out side of our house finally! woohoo! it gets SO DARK here, so you would walk outside hoping your not stepping on a frog, or a lizzard... etc. Wightson our friend did it for us, and now we are all lit up like a street in new york, with power that is.

Tonight vinj and I are on cooking for the whole base, so we are doing chicken and rice and veggies, I was checking on the chicken and adding some sauce to it, as I was sliding it back into the oven something was sticking to the cloth I was using as an oven mit, and it was one of the chicken feet. And it made me smile, not an every day occurance in Canada, the chickens nail caught on the rag : ) haha. Yes we eat chicken, feet and they are good.

I lost 5kgs in 2 week with Malaria, which I am not going to complain about! But it isn’t the best way to loose weight, now Vinj is worried because he wants to keep all the kgs he has, as most of you know : )

I just got a call from my mom and SHE IS COMING IN LESS THEN A MONTH! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Cant wait! I cant believe it!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn’t be happier!

And so ends my grumpy day into a beautiful night, with only three and a half week till my mom comes!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO!

Stories from kathryn

What Graval does to vinjelu....
Vinjelu was feeling a bit sick to his stomach one morning when we were going to Sandys creation in lusaka East, a absolutely beautiful peaceful HUGE garden center/lodge, we go to the garden center side where there is a HUGE jumping castle and a very large play ground for kids. So we just sit enjoying the surroundings and watch our kids play and play for hours. Anyway, so vinjelu was complaning about his stomach (I have been sick alot and so have to really pry compassion out of my self for a small discomfort like that... heehee) so I gave him one graval, I contemplated giving him two and see the end of the nausia, but I thought of his body weight and thought better of it. So... I gave him one, he said he had to go the the bathroom, after 20 minutes I was thinking wow he really had to go, then it went to 30 minutes and after, then out he walks I was like wow what happened to you, “I fell asleep!” -- oh my gosh so FUNNY! He was like drunk I am telling you on one graval! It was hot so we went to sit under a big grass hut thing to cool off for a while there he fell asleep in his chair again, I just let him be (except for the time seth bit his toe, he woke up for a few seconds to yell at him) me and the kids left for the park again once a big cloud covered the intense sun for a while. 45 minutes later Vinj found that he was alone in the hut, he came walking up and I had a coffee waiting for him. It was pretty funny, and he felt better, and I am just thankful I didn’t give him two, we may have had to stay there all night : )

Some of the things I am thankful for this week ...

Herbal essence
My grandma J and cousin left Herbal essence behind for us to finish! And the smell just reminds me of something familiar, home, etc. I use to use it all the time since I was a young teenager. I love the smell, I have been grabbing the bottle and just smelling it.

My new phone
My phone goes onto facebook very easily and cheaply, and I can go on all day and see updates from all my friends, I just wish there was a chat function on it, but I am so thankful for this awesome gift! I miss home so much, sometimes so much contact with home makes me miss it more... but I love you all, and drop me lines on facebook I can see them so easily.

My husband
He is my constant some times too much where I should be leaning more on God... but even so vinjelu is there, and I am fine when he is there (I can see I need to lean more into Jesus, but thats where I am now). I love him so much, he’s worked his butt off since we got here, and gone on my little wims here and there. Thank you to all my family for accepting him into our family as yours, he is more amazing then I could have eve congured up some amazing guy. I love him.



Two new appliances in our house.
Coffee maker, and Fan. Need I say more... it is getting VERY hot, so the fan comes around the house where ever we are. We looking at air conditioners, they go from $400- $1000! Cant really bring our selves to spend that kind of money.

Opportunities to give
There are obviously millions of opportunities to give, and we take as many as we can when we are hearing, we try to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying of corse. But we meet some people just in the right time. Let me encourage you, give and don’t look back, God blessing is in our hearts being moved to compassion and love for other. Don’t hold onto your stuff, give freely. It’s actually REALLY fun!

Sandy Creation
I mentioned this place already, but its absolutly beautiful, maybe try to google it for some pictures,I am sure they have a web site. It’s in lusaka.

Ok onto the story about the Doctor who I almost slapped...
So we were going to just some random clinic because vinj just needed a quick physical for his Zambian drivers. So we stopped at this place and in the mean time I said I should check for malaria since my joints were hurting so much the night before (I just thought it was from being tired) So it ends up I did have malaria, which meant I had to see a doctor and all that. So we go in together since Vinj needed to the examination.
In short the doctor got both Vinj and I to take HIV tests for what reason I don’t know, and kept talking about STI’s and so on, when Vinj is just getting a physical, and me getting a prescription for the malaria.
Two days later I was in to get another injection, and I took taliah in with me, I though her symptoms were just teething, but I wanted to be sure she didn’t have malaria. So we had to see that doctor again, in that place he was just being so smirky and giving me thiese looks. I went in and sat down and he said who is tyhe father to that child, and right away I was annoyed because we had told him we ARE MARRIED! Since he was treating both of us like some loose hussies. So I said “YOU MET MY HUSBAND”, he said “no thats not your husbands baby, shes white, that baby isn’t mixed.” of corse I was a bit shocked at first then I said “excuse me?” he said again just incase I didn’t get it “she is white, that baby is white” , I said “you have met my husband, this is his daughter, and our son is HIS son... you are very close to offending me very deeply. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY!?” Then he just sat there smirking at me, and I said “KUMBA!” meaning speak. And he said it again, shes white. So I said am I done here, so he gave perscription for her runny nose, and chest... of which I have not gien her anything since I knew she was getting better. I left and as I was leaving he said “your not really upset are you?” and I said “Yes I am” he kept saying “no come back come back” so I turned around and said He could appologize tomorrow when I come again. I could see he wanted to just brush it off. I confess now I probably didn’t respond in love or humility... I can see that. I haven’t seen him since and today is my last injection, and I will not be going back there again as long as I can help it.

Stories from kathryn

What Graval does to vinjelu....
Vinjelu was feeling a bit sick to his stomach one morning when we were going to Sandys creation in lusaka East, a absolutely beautiful peaceful HUGE garden center/lodge, we go to the garden center side where there is a HUGE jumping castle and a very large play ground for kids. So we just sit enjoying the surroundings and watch our kids play and play for hours. Anyway, so vinjelu was complaning about his stomach (I have been sick alot and so have to really pry compassion out of my self for a small discomfort like that... heehee) so I gave him one graval, I contemplated giving him two and see the end of the nausia, but I thought of his body weight and thought better of it. So... I gave him one, he said he had to go the the bathroom, after 20 minutes I was thinking wow he really had to go, then it went to 30 minutes and after, then out he walks I was like wow what happened to you, “I fell asleep!” -- oh my gosh so FUNNY! He was like drunk I am telling you on one graval! It was hot so we went to sit under a big grass hut thing to cool off for a while there he fell asleep in his chair again, I just let him be (except for the time seth bit his toe, he woke up for a few seconds to yell at him) me and the kids left for the park again once a big cloud covered the intense sun for a while. 45 minutes later Vinj found that he was alone in the hut, he came walking up and I had a coffee waiting for him. It was pretty funny, and he felt better, and I am just thankful I didn’t give him two, we may have had to stay there all night : )

Some of the things I am thankful for this week ...

Herbal essence
My grandma J and cousin left Herbal essence behind for us to finish! And the smell just reminds me of something familiar, home, etc. I use to use it all the time since I was a young teenager. I love the smell, I have been grabbing the bottle and just smelling it.

My new phone
My phone goes onto facebook very easily and cheaply, and I can go on all day and see updates from all my friends, I just wish there was a chat function on it, but I am so thankful for this awesome gift! I miss home so much, sometimes so much contact with home makes me miss it more... but I love you all, and drop me lines on facebook I can see them so easily.

My husband
He is my constant some times too much where I should be leaning more on God... but even so vinjelu is there, and I am fine when he is there (I can see I need to lean more into Jesus, but thats where I am now). I love him so much, he’s worked his butt off since we got here, and gone on my little wims here and there. Thank you to all my family for accepting him into our family as yours, he is more amazing then I could have eve congured up some amazing guy. I love him.



Two new appliances in our house.
Coffee maker, and Fan. Need I say more... it is getting VERY hot, so the fan comes around the house where ever we are. We looking at air conditioners, they go from $400- $1000! Cant really bring our selves to spend that kind of money.

Opportunities to give
There are obviously millions of opportunities to give, and we take as many as we can when we are hearing, we try to hear what the Holy Spirit is saying of corse. But we meet some people just in the right time. Let me encourage you, give and don’t look back, God blessing is in our hearts being moved to compassion and love for other. Don’t hold onto your stuff, give freely. It’s actually REALLY fun!

Sandy Creation
I mentioned this place already, but its absolutly beautiful, maybe try to google it for some pictures,I am sure they have a web site. It’s in lusaka.

Ok onto the story about the Doctor who I almost slapped...
So we were going to just some random clinic because vinj just needed a quick physical for his Zambian drivers. So we stopped at this place and in the mean time I said I should check for malaria since my joints were hurting so much the night before (I just thought it was from being tired) So it ends up I did have malaria, which meant I had to see a doctor and all that. So we go in together since Vinj needed to the examination.
In short the doctor got both Vinj and I to take HIV tests for what reason I don’t know, and kept talking about STI’s and so on, when Vinj is just getting a physical, and me getting a prescription for the malaria.
Two days later I was in to get another injection, and I took taliah in with me, I though her symptoms were just teething, but I wanted to be sure she didn’t have malaria. So we had to see that doctor again, in that place he was just being so smirky and giving me thiese looks. I went in and sat down and he said who is tyhe father to that child, and right away I was annoyed because we had told him we ARE MARRIED! Since he was treating both of us like some loose hussies. So I said “YOU MET MY HUSBAND”, he said “no thats not your husbands baby, shes white, that baby isn’t mixed.” of corse I was a bit shocked at first then I said “excuse me?” he said again just incase I didn’t get it “she is white, that baby is white” , I said “you have met my husband, this is his daughter, and our son is HIS son... you are very close to offending me very deeply. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY!?” Then he just sat there smirking at me, and I said “KUMBA!” meaning speak. And he said it again, shes white. So I said am I done here, so he gave perscription for her runny nose, and chest... of which I have not gien her anything since I knew she was getting better. I left and as I was leaving he said “your not really upset are you?” and I said “Yes I am” he kept saying “no come back come back” so I turned around and said He could appologize tomorrow when I come again. I could see he wanted to just brush it off. I confess now I probably didn’t respond in love or humility... I can see that. I haven’t seen him since and today is my last injection, and I will not be going back there again as long as I can help it.

half a post

Blog September 10th

This might be a bit random, I will start with a tip from Africa, as suggested by Lana.

Tip from Africa # 1: When showering in hot water always put a bucket under you because it might not happen again, not only that, but, the water might go all together, so conserve the water from the shower that went into the bucket. After all your kids need a bath too!

Seths new favorite movie: Madagascar! he tries to say Madagascar, but it comes out more like “mada-gs-crr” if I don’t know what he is saying he asks for Zebra. He LOVES zebras, I don’t know why thats the animal he loves, I want to get a painting or a toy for him of a zebra. We have a Zebra print blanket which he loves.

Seths Zambian accent: Seth says his words like this “they-rr” for there. “Way-rr” for where, “they-rr” for there... and so on. “Watta” for water. Very cute.

Taliah is the joker of the family so far, she bugs seth as much as possible, if they are in their seats in the car she flops her leg on him over and over until Seth is finally crying because “taliah buggin me mom!” Or she walks up to him and slaps his face... and then she laughs and seth cries. haha... we are working on the slapping part, not so good. But it’s her character, she laughs often, smiles as soon as she wakes up. She has been going to bed fine and sleeping really well since we got them in their own room again. She is still sleeping in our play pen, she will stay there until we get our baby.

There are days seth leaves for Joannas house and doesn’t come back for 6 hours (we live on the same ywam property)! I have to go over there to see if hes peed his pants, feed him, and so on... they play non stop those two, and taliah joins them some times, but thats when I am with them.
`TODAY they are waiting madagascar at our house because we have a RED ANT infestation up by the main area on the base, so we are hiding in our house this morning.

Malawi

Almost four weeks without internet! Wow! That hasnt happened for some time!

Will start with the end of our trip. Yesterday morning (wednesday) I noticed Seths eye was puffy a little bit, and it looked like he had bite all on one side of his face. We were driving from Petauke, Zambia to Lusaka, 400 km. Seth feel asleep in the car and I though his eye was getting more and more swollen, but wasnt sure because his eye was closed. When he woke up close to Lusaka his eyes was SO SWOLLEN, all on one side of his face, his nose even is swollen, and all the things I thought were bug bites on his fore head are hive kind of things. So we went to drop off rebecca (our friend who helped with our kids at the conference) and Taliah at our friends place, and went straight to the hospital with Seth, (and I had been feeling sick for a few weeks as well and was getting worse everyday). So we both got checked out.
Unfortunately for Seth he had to have the dreaded Malaria test, Seth came out POSITIVE for Malaria : ( The doctor said the swelling/hives could be from many things, one of them being Malaria, or worms, a reaction to something.... so he is on Malaria treatment, and getting dewormed by medication for the next three days. We found the malaria really early with Seth, and he doesnt even seemed bothered by the swelling, he is just acting normal! Thank God. Really praise Jesus he got the swelling other wise we wouldn’t have gone to the doctor.
As for me I have an infection (urinary) I cant see why I would have all the symptoms I do have with this, but we will see after finishing my medications if I feel better.
So we are home!

Now back to what we have been doing in Malawi.

Our conference was AMAZING! It was a BLT : ) Base Leaders Training for YWAM.
LYNN GREEN was our speaker, a HUGE honor for us (mostly because he had to pay his way to come and speak at our conference and he went away with a bag of coffee : ) Other places would pay for his flight accomidation, and a large monitary gift : ) haha, not where we are. You can google him I am sure he is part of the Team Three in YWAM, the directors of the whole YWAM. Anyway, he is a humble man who love Jesus, and calls us to live by faith. It was really inspiring. One of the main things we came out with was his challenge not to us as YWAM in Africa not to make excuses for being poor, that living by faith doesnt work here and so on, which alot of people believe here, that we are different here because of the poverty. But He challenged us to remember we live in the kingdom of God no matter if we are in an afluent country or poor, Jesus said he would take care of us, and it’s no exception here in Africa. Staff are starting to want to do jobs here and there, or even start funds to be paid to be in YWAM, but one of the basic values in YWAM is to live by Faith and on relational support. Anyway Vinjelu will be writing more on this later.
The food at the conference.... so we had the SAME food everyday, prepared exactly the same!
Breakfast: sausage, fries, and hard boiled egg.
Lunch: Chicken or fish, rice, boiled spinach
Supper: Chicken or fish, rice, boiled spinach

Not a bad diet, only that it was the same, by the third day we were really wondering.... and there was no soya sauce or something, just ketchup! (Rob you wouldn’t have survived!) And it gets to you, but you know what’s funny by the last day we were starting to like the predictability of it, you get used to it and start to like it : ) haha.
We met people from our YWAM region from, Mozambique, Anglola, Malawi, Zambia. It was SO GOOD to meet up with some people we already know and to meet some new people who we grew to love in just one week. Some people had just amazing testimonies of the power of Jesus in their lives going out into their communities! It was really exciting!
After the confrence we were leaving to go to Vinjelus grandmas village. We left a bit late because we were giving two YWAMers a lift close to their base. The seed limits are SO BAD n malawi, you have to drive 50 kmh for 100 km at a time... you know how long that takes!!!!! It took us 6 hours to drive 300 kilometers!
So we got instruction to go to mzimba/boma to the bus depot and ask for vinjelu cousin... and we someone would know her and take us to her house. So we thought the town must be REALLY small. But when we got there we found hundreds of people milling around, the sun was down already, so we couldnt see much, vinjelu we nt and asked abotu his cousin but no one seemed to know her. So we went all the way to the YWAM another 100 kilometers, thankfully though it was mostly an 80 to 100 speed limit. So we got to see another YWAM base, and they had hot water in their showers! WOOHOO! It was SO NICE to shower in a shower! Not a bucket bath. Anyway thats a side note. So we left in the morning to go find vinjelus cousin again, we found out her house was only another 100 meters from where we were parked the night before! haha! Thats life. So we picked up the cousin from town and she came with us to show us where the village was.

We got there and were greeted by vinjelus grandma and relatives. No time to write anymore... later.

here are some photos.

Adoption

September 7th we are going in for an interview with our social worker to begin the adoption process. After the interview we will be on a waiting list for a new born baby! Very exciting news, we feel like we are pregnant! haha

August 22nd we are leaving for Malawi and long drive, 10 hours if it goes well! We will be at a YWAM conference until the 28th, then off to visit vinjelus grandma which I mentioned earlier.

Here are some photos of the house in the last week or so.

A Long post from vinj and Kath

From Vinj- I want to go finish making our cupboards right now, and drill holes for the pantry shelves, but I am resisting.... because kath wants to spend time. I find that I am so one track minded, there are so many things I would like to do, like blog for you guys, but I am just thinking about the house all the time. Building the house has given me alot of confidence and it feels good to be able to use my hands and actually be able to make something look good. Ok, I am off now to finish the kitchen cupbords. Sorry more later. Vinj

Everyone is in the livingroom watching Narnia on the “big screen” computer right now, Taliah just went to bed and Seth is snuggled up with great grandma. Everyone meaning, Logan my cousin from Canada and his girl friend Brittany, and my moms mom, my grandma Dorothy. I feel like I havent written in a long time and have thought of lots of stories to write about, and will try and remember some of them. Although Lana told me I could write any old thing and she would love it, so here I go... : )

Not a night goes by that I am not totaly awed by the night sky, it is SO CLEAR, I have always taken some pride in our beautiful clear air around New Norway area with so little polution after being exposed to Torontos discusting air, and Bankoks even worse air in Thailand. BUT- Zambia has skys I have never seen. They are so crystal clear, every single night, and it just lays out there with those brilliant stars, just beautiful, since there are only about 12 million people in a big mass of land, with little infurstructure I guess there is little polution, thats my theory anyway.
I cant really discribe the feelings that roll around in my heart and mind lately, the word I want to use is weird... BUT when ever I use that word I remeber my dad told me along time ago that weird actually means something far worse then what I was using it for, like back in my valley girl days of “What- everrrrr!” (shelby would remember those days, so would suzanne! haha : ) Anyway, I used to say weird alot and my dad told me the real meaning, which I forget, something about witch craft or something, and so since then whenever I say it I have this voice in my head (my dad) telling my not to use that word and to try and think of a better word. So right now a thesaurous would be wonderful, then I could maybe find a word. ANYWAY........... I walk through our house and it doesnt really feel like our hosue yet, but it kind of does... then it feels so much like home in Zambia sometimes it feels like I must be in Canada still only 30 minutes from my family, but I’m not. Hense the really “weird” feelings I am having lately. I am used to Zambia... I think because I have been here 4 times before none of the “Zambia” culture has really fazed me, it just is what it is, and I like it mostly. There is just a feelin that everything isnt whole, or right with my family so far, it feels like they should be very close. I know it doesnt make sense so I will move on.

I got to be in the room with my friend linda while she was in labour with their new baby girl Nchiwemi (chee-wem-ee... thats for Jessica who asked how to say it) Anyway, I was met with a totally different experience then the comfortable Canada labour experience. In Canada the nurses are all about the safety of the baby and the comfort of the mom in labour. With Linda the nurses gave no option of pain relief (which linda didnt ask about either!) When she was saying the contractions where really painful the nurse just said “Good, let them come even harder so your baby can come!” now if you ahve had a baby in Canada you know by then they would be asking if you want morphone, or epidural, laughing gas.. etc, right?! HARD CORE. Anyway, when linda was in the worst peak of labour the nurses were even laughing telling linda to be tough and stop complaining or screaming! I am so appauled! Totally! She was being tough as far as I was consurned NOT having anything for the worst pain in the world. Anyway, in the ned me and lindas mom got kicked out of the room for the pushing and I didnt get to SEE her born which I would have loved. But Linda was a champion, the active labour was only about 3.5 hours (doing it natural really pays off in labour time!) In the end I was scared to have a baby here just because they expect you to be more then super women! AHHH! Nchiwemi was adorable with her squooshy face and dark lips. I havent seen her for a few days and will be paying her a visit today. I still want to see a baby really born, maybe I will have to be a mid wife to really see a miracle like that happen, I guess we will see.
Seth has potty trained himself! He is still having half acidents in his pants then runs and pees in the toilet once he realises. We were only going to train him once we were in the house but he start for the past week and a half, of which I am thankful. Although he is not so good when we are out in town, and there are SO FEW public toilets in town so it is hard.
Taliah is walking confidently now all the time, with a little unsteadieness once and a while, but she catches herself. She is also sayin words like “yes” “dis (this)” “daddy” “mama” and the infatic NO she communicates with the shaking of her head. She find dirt where ever she can and plays in it. I came in from getting diapers to hang in the house tonight and found seth and taliah had got into the last bag of cement in the house while grandma was cleaning up dishes, after I had bathed BOTH of them, taliahs left side was covered in cement! The hair that I had just wshed so nicely was grey... boohoo. Tonight I cut all seths long curls off... reason being ---- it is a HUGE fight to wash his hair even once a week, he cries like I am beating him, when I haven’t even got the shampoo in his hair. SO... today when bathing he said no wash hair mommy! No wash hair! So I said fine then I am cutting it off Seth, and he agreed. If you know Seth you know anything having to do with his hair he HATES, don’t touch his hair, wash it, and above all NEVER try and comb it out. So I cut it, and he cried as if I was beating him... but at least thats it for a month or so. he looks so different I loved his little afro, but it’s gone again.... and will return at a later time.
I’ve been getting used to the little friends we have everywhere here, such as spiders that live behind the toilet, salamanders that live in the vents in the wall, or just live on your wall, and beatles that just show up on the inside of our windows... and I have also gained courage to KILL the ones I dont like, like the grasshopper/spider I saw the other day with bright red in it, that was a instant take-shoe-off-and-kill moment, and those happen alot, especially with little cockroaches and little black spiders hate those things. Anyway, I don’t call vinj anymore and hide on the bed, I just “get er done” my self these days.
I watched the older version of PRIDE AND PREDJUDICE on wednesday all day, it is a 6 hour movie, and I totally LOVE IT! If you liked the new movie and haven’t seen the older one, the older one is WAY BETTER! Believe me --- and watch it as soon as possible ok. I was sucked into that world for a day, having to take breaks to help in the house or with the kids of corse, but I loved it, was a beautiful day with elizabeth bennet and her family. Can you believe Logan and Brittany don’t even know Jane austin, or pride and predjudice! AHHHH! What is the school system coming to! haha... anyway. I want to watch it again with Vinjelu, since he hasnt seen it since high school, and he loved it then too.
If anyone wants to I would love a copy of the book... mine is in a container, and don’t know when it will be here. I am reading another english classic called “Tess of Durbavilles” I am only reading it because 9this is lame guys get ready for it) Vinjelu read the book in high school and fell in love with this character Tess that Thomas Hardy made up, and always hoped he would find a wife with the name Tess... and so I was like WELL THEN, I want to see who this girl is... (lame right) anyway, so I am reading it and have nearly cried twice at the horible things that happen to her, I am like asking vinj what is it you liked about this story! If you havent read it, Tess goes to a rich estate to work like a servant, there the bosses son kind of falls in love with tess in a sick way I would say because she is young, he eventually rapes her, she leaves and finds she is pregnant at like 14 or something, then is discrased in her coomunity, she has the baby,k but then the baby dies and that the part I am at... so really depressing, anf I really feel Tess has nothing on me in terms of character and all that, so I am no longer jelous of Tess, I love her like Vinj did... and I cant wait to read the rest of the story. And I have just tonight realised that Kate my english neighbour here on the YWAM base has the movie that was made from the book! So I will be watching that soon. All to say, WHY DONT they give these books to kids anymore! Thats why they are called classics!
Anyway... I think I’ve been rambling. IN two weeks we are suppose to be going out to Vinjelus dads moms village, so that makes her his grandma also known as GOGO, you say it just like that “go go”. She lives in a village outside lilongwe malawi. So we will see how that visit goes. She is excited to meet me and the kids, and has welcomed us to visit her there.

Will write more another time and will be posting some updated pictures of the progress of the house.

From my bed in lusaka west...

An un-complete post, but it's something right!

Update from Muyaba Monkeys in Zambia!
We have been in Zambia for a month and a half now, in ways it seems longer I guess, going through two bouts of malaria, building a house, hosting an outreach team, road trip to Livingstone, in and out of town getting supplies, and lots of laughter around the hot coals at the days end!
Over the weekend we heard there was a new grocery store opened and it’s prices were sometimes half the price of all the other stores in Zambia, as a promotion they were having these sales. So on Monday I dragged vinj out of bed on the national holiday in Zambia for who knows what... we went to see Pik N Pay. And it was a mass of people and carts, soon we found out the line out the door lead to the back of the store to the milly meal (corn meal) at the back, costing about $3.50 less at Pik N Pay then anywhere else. Some people came only to buy a bag of this, with a limit of 2 per customer. I could see some people where having their kids get a cart and put some in! : ) Smart parents! We fortunately didnt have the kids with us, so right away we saw we should get in line before we had got groceries even, so vinj went in line and I gathered stuff went back to him when my hand where full and dummped it into the cart. It was a good strategy with people rubbing sholders down the aisles trying to find this or that. it was fun I thought, although we found some very frustrated people who left half filled carts for the parking lot in frustration. Anyway we were able to find deals there and we were thankful, since we had to buy cleaning supplies for our house, buckets for laundry, spices, sugar, tea, coffee... all that stuff that can break the budget when bought at the same time! The base is letting us borrow some things like a table, pots, cups... untill the container comes with some of our stuff, or untill the base needs it again.

12 school children squooshed in the back, baby am-in-als as seth would say....

so many stories to write when I am away from this lovely mac laptop.... so will try and pry them all out of my memory, or corse the freshest is today... But I wont start at the end, I will try the beginning of our week.

The week started with projects, we had an amazing calgary team at our base, they prepared the land for the clinic project we are heading up, they worked like slaves, serisouly clearing the land with machetes and rakes and shovels. There are alot of teams that come through YWAM bases mostly focused on evangelism, this team was very different and willing to be so relational in base, and with the community closest to us. Some girls school fees where paid for, they got the sewing ladies to make all their gifts to bring home because of that also gave each women projects and income! They also helped out alot at our house, which seems like a never ending project, but really is so close ot being livable. And lastly, the team had some money left, and had prayed and asked God where they should put the money, they left it for the DTS, and you know what!? It covered ALL the fees due for these zambian students! CAN YOU IMAGINE the gift this was to those students! Just amazing! So blessed by them!

We left Lusaka for Livingstone on Saturday, from thursday to friday our car was being fixed and tuned up for the long trip, so we were confident our trip would be safe and good. . . BUT only an hour or so down the road our left weel was cluncking so much we just had to stop. And what we found was....... NO BOLTS ON THE BREAK PADS! Of which we had just replaced and paid for them to be put in! So THANK JESUS we stopped by a BIG truck who was also broke down, one of the guys ran across the highway to who knows where and found two bolts that fit our car! WOOHOO, so we were off to linvinstone again. But all the things delaying us really took a long time, and about 3 hours away from livingstone the kids really started to FREAK OUT, and I am talking about FREAK OUT, I have never seen my kids like that. But.... I can understand they were so tired of being in the car. 500 KM took us 12 hours in the end! It was maddness.

The next day was Safari day, vinj stayed back with Taliah and Seth and I went with the team, I was really excited to see Lions... but, guess what Livingstone doesnt have lions! ALL of us were disapointed. But we saw an elephant family, Giraffe, Impala, wart Hog, and Zebras, Seths all time favorite, "ZEEBA! MOMMY ZEEBA! BABY ZEEBA MOMMY!" He LOVES them, no question there! When we saw the elephants we would tell him "shhhhhhh, ok seth shhhhhhh" and by the end of the trip he was SHHHSHing everyone. it was so cute. He was Such a good boy though!

We took the team to the falls but didnt go in, they wouldnt let me and the kids in for the zambian price, which I have always been able to get being married to vinjelu, but the lady just would not budge! So I was partly offended, but also noticed everyone coming out soaked, and any time we have come to the falls in the season we come out dry... so... we were not prepared for it with the kids especially. So we sat at a beautiful hotel resort place right at the falls, we had drinks and lunch there. AND guess what. the place owns 8 Zebras! Just walking around, so seth was SO happy to see Zeebas again!
That evening we went on a boat ride down the zambezi, and I was praying we would see hippos! And we did, a whle lot of them on the land, and they were amazing, I actually shed a tear cuz it was just beautiful, I dont know why, maybe because they are a wondering and it's so few people who do get to see them. I LOVED it.
That night we went out for dinner with Andreas I was feeling a bit off, but we still went out and I had a steak, the restraunt was beautiful designed! We had a great chat with Andreas and said goodbye to him that night : ( boohoo

At 2:30am that night I got really sick, I mean I felt so horibble, worse then I have ever felt I think, so I jumped to the comclusion I had ecoli from the beef! (I've seen Food inc, recently... so that can scare anyone) And it was the only sickness I could see having with the symptoms. I was in the bathroom almost constantly that night. We went into the clinic that morning and found I had malaria, stage 2, stage four is ceribal malaria, which is REALLY BAD. So it was that strain of malaria. I was ok with it though, I got my first injection of the medication since I was throwing up I needed to get an injection. They also gave me something to sop vomitting, and then hooked me up to the good old IV, an old friend of mine ! : )

Let me tell you right now. If my baby girl can live through malaria, ANYONE can! Ok, so don't freak out if you get it while visiting. I am feeling so much better it's only the 4th day of treatment. So please still visit, don't let these stories scare you away!

On Thursday we came home in a much better time, I think it took us from 5:30am to 12:00pm to get home! Much better right, so I laid down bathed and relaxed. then vinj came into to say we were going. I was skeptical for sure because I was not feeling well at all. BUt I went, and it took about 1 hour to get to this beautiful lodge we are in right now. Just gorgeous here. We are sitting under a thatch roof looking out at some big animal that looks something like a deer, but much bigger. It's a beautiful afternoon on our Anniversary. Vinj is playing soccer, for those who know him, know what I am talking about : )

This morning we had to go find a clinic where I could get my last injection, we drove down the road praying out gas would last, because we were miss lead how far this lodge really was, it was much further, so we were literally running on fumes, way past E! But we found a place in time filled up, then headed back towards the lodge. We were told there was a clinic down the road, so we drove into a farm, and there was so much there even a clinic! A very nice doctor gave me my injection and chatted a bit with us. We also found out there would be a cattle auction on September 3rd, which we may be interested in! So it was a good stop all in all.

Vinj turned off the highway to the road leading to the lodge and let me drive the rest of the way (yeah!) haha an old man asked for a ride down the road to his village, so we said sure! He said it was only 3 km, but we went way further then that and still werent there, and we are trying to watch our fuel since we only had enough money for a quarter of a tank! So after about 10 kms, we left him off ( I know we are suck jerks right!) But before you agree, our left wheel is also giving us trouble again the the road was turning more and more into a foot path... so... needless to say we turned around for the lodge again. We started off and two school kids asked for a ride, so we said sure. The down the road another three asked and we said yes but then another 6 came as well, with a total of 12 grade fives in our 5 seats in the back! haha! It was great. Vinj was giving them a hard time because they are suppose to know english, but he would ask, "how was school?" and one would say "grade five" no "how was school?" " at the gate?" they just didnt know what he was aksing. They were cute and I loved it. We took a photo of it as well so you will see.